My First Toastmasters Speech: The Child Who Just Can't Wait

The Impatient Entrepreneur: Turning 'Can't Wait' into 'Can't Lose

Hey Alchemists!

Heads up - this one's gonna be a bit of a read. I know you're used to my quick atomic posts, but hey, sometimes a story needs more than a few lines, you know?

So, check this out - my birthday's coming up on August 15th (yeah, LEO SEASON and just a few days from now), and it got me thinking about all the crazy stuff that's happened in my life. I figured, why not share the story I used for my first Toastmasters speech with all of you? It's pretty wild, and I think it'll give you a good idea of what makes me tick.

Look, I'm gonna lay it all out for you - how I got this "just can't wait" attitude that's been driving me (and sometimes driving people crazy) my whole life. Trust me, it's been one hell of a ride.

You're about to hear how I came into this world in a rush and never really slowed down. It's been a rollercoaster of quick decisions, weird choices, and learning stuff at lightning speed. Sometimes it's bitten me in the ASS !

But other times? Man, it's been the secret to my success.

So grab a drink, kick back, and let me tell you about "the child who just can't wait." By the end of this, you'll probably understand why I may be in a hurry sometimes but I am getting better at being patience and living in the moment.

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The Toastmaster speech begins …

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Did you know that a pregnant woman can deliver earlier if she just took some castor oil?

Well, I don't know if there's any truth to what I just said, and I actually doubt there is. However, I will say that my mother did take castor oil on the day I was born. For those who aren't familiar with castor oil, it's basically a laxative.

She wanted to, as she said in her words, "Clean herself out before going to the hospital." She also said that she "just could not wait to have this baby," and that baby, of course, was me.

Now, can you guess what happened instead of the laxative working as she expected?

Yep, she went into labor pains!

I guess I was actually becoming a pain in her "you know what," but more than that, I could not wait to get out of her womb and begin my life as an individual.

I was in such a rush that my mother was unable to make it to the hospital. She gave birth to me in the apartment. It always amazes me to see my birth certificate. Where it normally has the hospital name, it has the address of where I was born: "135 New York Avenue, apt 511 Brooklyn, NY."

That was the day I was officially known as the child who just can't wait.

This reputation followed me throughout my life. I wouldn't say it was always good, nor would I say it was a bad thing, but I did live up to the reputation.

In my teen years, I realized that I just could not wait to get out of high school and become an adult.

By the age of 15, I didn't want to listen to my parents as their rules did not play well with the reputation bestowed upon me. So, I ran away from home and decided to drop out of school by the age of 15 - I truly did not have the patience to wait for the graduating class.

During that time, I quickly learned the ways of the streets and how to survive on the streets. I also learned that I had urges I did not want to wait for, so I found a girlfriend. Following the "Just can't wait" reputation, I got her pregnant.

Yes, I was one of those man-children who had my first child by the age of 18, keeping the reputation well alive.

As I got older, I did learn some patience, but I'm still far from mastering it.

I will say the "Just can't wait" attitude did have some positives. While everyone was investing their time and money into a college degree, I decided not to go to college because the curriculum was way too slow and didn't play well with my impatient attitude. The idea of sitting and waiting for a class to finish was not something I wanted to do, nor did I have the patience for it.

I used my "Just can't wait attitude" and picked up a book on programming, teaching myself to write computer programs - a skill that has served me well.

This method allowed me to learn multiple programming languages, in addition to networking, cybersecurity and online digital marketing.

It seemed the only way I learned to do anything of value was to use the "Just can't wait method" and learn multiple things at the same time.

I'm actually using the "Just can't wait method" at Toastmasters. The reality is, I just could not wait to get up in front of all of you to talk, but something in the back of my head said, "Oh boy, you've done it now... You really should have waited…"

The funny thing about my "Just can't wait attitude" is that I think my son inherited it too. In my early 30s, I became a grandfather.

I GUESS HE COULDN’T WAIT EITHER !!!

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And that, my friends, is the end of my story. But before I conclude... let me tell you that I won first place for this speech :-)

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Devon Artis

As I celebrate 56 years of life this August 15th, I can't help but reflect on how this impatient streak has shaped my journey.

It's led me to make bold decisions, learn rapidly, and seize opportunities others might have hesitated over. While it's not always been smooth sailing, it's undeniably made my life interesting and has been a driving force behind many of my successes.

To all my subscribers, I hope this story gives you a better understanding of who I am and why I approach business and life with such URGENCY and PASSION.

Here's to another year of NOT WAITING, but of SEIZING EVERY MOMENT and opportunity that comes our way!

Thank you so much for being a subscriber and part of this Digital Alchemy Lab community :-)